Saturday, April 05, 2008

Trees, William Carlos Williams


Crooked, black tree

on your grey-black hillock,

ridiculously raised one step toward

the infinite summits of the night:

even you the few grey stars

draw upward into a vague melody

of harsh threads


But as you are from straining

against the bitter horizontals of

a north wind, - there below you

how easily the long yellow notes

of poplars flow upward in a descending

scale, each not secure in its own

posture -singularly woven.


All voices are blent willingly

against the heaving contra-bass

of the dark but you alone

warp yourself passionately to one side

in your eagerness.

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